World’s Oldest Man Named: Alexander Imich Is 111-Years-Old

The oldest man in the world turned 111-years-old in February but has just received the official news. According to NBC Chicago, Alexander Imich lives in New York’s Upper West Side. He recently received the title of “world’s oldest man” after 111-year-old Arturo Licata of Italy passed away on April 24. When asked about his secret to longevity, Imich said that he has no idea how he has lived for so long. There isn’t a magic potion to take or a specific set of rules to follow. Imich just has great longevity genes apparently.

“I don’t know, I simply didn’t die earlier. I have no idea how this happened,” Imich said.

If Imich had to choose something, however, he says that his “clean diet” (of mainly chicken and fish) might be to blame. He doesn’t drink alcohol and was active in his younger years — things that most people would associate with a long and healthy life.

Born in Poland, the world’s oldest man fled the country in 1939 and came to The States with his wife in the 1950s. His wife passed away in 1986. According to The New York Times, Alexander Imich never had children which he says could be why he has lived so long (less stress?). Even still, Imich sometimes wonders when he is going to die.

“How long can this go on? The compensation for dying is that I will learn all the things I was not able to learn here on Earth,” he said recently.

Some people feel blessed to live into their late years but there are plenty of elderly people who are just plain old tired. Many have lived long, good lives and don’t want any credit for being “old.” They want to be at peace — because face it, many don’t have much strength once they are over age 100. As for Imich, he has home health care aides looking after him on a daily basis. While he’s in decent shape for his advanced age, he has his days of wanting life to give him a gentle wave goodbye.

Though Imich is the world’s oldest man, he isn’t the world’s oldest person. As previously reported by Inquisitr.com,Misao Okawa currently holds that title. Okawa is 116-years-old.

“Eat and sleep and you will live a long time. You have to learn to relax,” Okawa says.

There are 66 women who are older than Alexander Imich according to Gerontology Research which proves that women live longer than men. Imich was born on Feb. 4, 1903 — the same year that the New York Yankees played for the very first time in the Big Apple. It’s quite cool if you actually think about it.

[Photo courtesy of NBC Chicago]